


No.4 Impaling

by LiGi



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Attempted assassination, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Hurt Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Impaling, Jousting, no 4, physician Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiGi/pseuds/LiGi
Summary: Febuwhump 2021 day 4 - ImpalingArthur suffers a jousting accident - or is it an accident?
Relationships: Leon & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137632
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	No.4 Impaling

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Onehelluvapilot for betaing! Go an read her febuwhump stories, no 4 is a really good one (especially if, like me, you like Gwaine whump!)

A scream went up from the crowd as Arthur slid sideways off his horse, Sir Welwyn’s lance imbedded in his chest.

Leon was running before Arthur even hit the ground. Merlin was also sprinting across the tilt yard, screaming the prince’s name. Leon reached Arthur’s side a second after Merlin had dropped to his knees. He collapsed next to the servant, helping him steady Arthur, who was unconscious and scarily limp. The front foot or so of the lance had broken off and several inches were buried deep into his armour.

“What the hell happened?” Merlin was muttering, his hands working around the puncture hole in Arthur’s breastplate where the lance protruded. “How did it go through his armour?”

Leon looked closer at the lance, spotting the glint of sharpened metal through the blood. Fury welled in his chest as he looked around for Sir Welwyn, who had suspiciously vanished while everyone’s eyes had been fixed on the prince.

“It’s a spear tipped lance. The bastard was aiming to hurt him.” He looked to the stands where the king had risen from his throne, one hand gripping the balustrade in front of him in a white-knuckled grip. “A tipped lance, Sire,” Leon called, loud enough for everyone in the tilt yard to hear. The crowd erupted in shouts.

“Guards!” the king yelled. “Find Sir Welwyn!”

The flurry of activity around the yard was deafening, but Leon ignored it, looking back down at Arthur. Gaius hurried over, letting his physician’s bag drop to the ground a couple of seconds before his knees hit the sand, his hands immediately leaping to Arthur.

Leon moved back quickly to get out of the physician’s way as he began assessing Arthur. Merlin was trying to unfasten the straps of Arthur’s breastplate, glancing worriedly to Gaius for direction.

Together they stripped him of his armour; Merlin lifting the breastplate, sliding it up the length of the lance through the puncture hole and tossing it aside carelessly. Then he pulled chain cutters from Gaius’s bag to divest Arthur of his chainmail. Merlin had to lean all of his weight down on them to crunch through it before unhooking them and moving them up towards the puncture hole, cutting through again with a grunt of effort.

Leon could do nothing but watch as Arthur’s favourite chainmail shirt was slowly ripped apart. By the time he was half way through Merlin’s arm was shaking from the effort of slicing the metal rings and Leon held his hand out.

“Let me, Merlin,” he said and Merlin nodded, relinquishing the cutters and immediately beginning to root through Gaius’s bag to pull lengths of bandage out onto his lap.

His hands were damp with sweat but Leon knelt to lean over Arthur and started cutting where Merlin had left off. He made fairly quick work of it, using his strength to cut several rings at once.

Once the chain was cut through, Gaius and Merlin pulled it from Arthur, followed by his gambeson and shirt. Icy fear flooded Leon’s mind as he saw the amount of blood covering Arthur’s chest.

Merlin pressed wadded bandages around the wound, putting heavy pressure on them as Gaius tied more bandages around the shaft of the lance, holding it securely in place.

“Aren’t you going to take it out?” Leon asked worriedly.

“Not until he is back in my chambers,” Gaius answered, gesturing over two servants with a stretcher. “But if the lance moves it could do more internal damage than it already has.”

Leon helped Merlin lift Arthur onto the stretcher, trying to ignore the pool of blood he left behind on the sand. The king had made his way down from his throne and was striding towards them.

“Gaius!” he shouted as he hurried over. He faltered slightly as he caught sight of Arthur’s blood-covered chest. “Will he survive this?”

Gaius bowed his head. “I shall do my best, Sire.”

Leon steadied the king as his knees buckled.

“Do whatever it takes, Gaius. I will not lose my son.”

“Yes, Sire.”

The servants lifted the stretcher and Merlin pulled Gaius to his feet, the two of them hurrying towards the castle, the servants with the stretcher moving as quickly as they could without jostling the prince too much.

Leon ran at their side. Praying desperately to any God who would listen to help his prince. His friend. His little brother.

**Author's Note:**

> I love any and all comments!


End file.
